The Florida Panthers (6-4-1) head to take on the Los Angeles Kings (6-6-1) at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. Florida is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks on Thursday. The Panthers took advantage of their limited power play opportunities, scoring once on three shots, while also conceding a power play goal.
Carter Verhaeghe, Radko Gudas, and Aleksander Barkov scored one apiece for the Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Sergei Bobrovsky saved 36 of 39 shots in the win.
Los Angeles is playing the first of five games at home after a 2-1 overtime loss against the Blackhawks on Thursday. Blake Lizotte was the only player to score for the Kings. Jonathan Quick only had 17 saves on 19 shots against (.894%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Kings won both games between the teams last season, including a 3-2 (SO) victory in their final meeting in March, their third straight win against Florida. Rasmus Kupari and Martin Frk were on the scoresheet for Los Angeles. Eetu Luostarinen and Brandon Montour were on the scoresheet for Florida. Quick got the win, saving 30 of 32 shots (.937%).
FACING OFF
Florida is averaging 3.00 goals per game for the season, 20th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Kings team that is allowing 3.77 goals a game (27th). Meanwhile, Los Angeles has found the net 3.31 times a game on average, 12th in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.09 goals per game (14th).
Florida averages more shots a game (39.2) than most teams in the league, ranking second, though the team’s 7.9% shooting percentage is 32nd. Los Angeles has struggled with stopping shots, ranking No. 31 with a team save percentage of .881%.
Look for multiple power play opportunities for the Kings, as the Panthers are averaging 5.09 penalties per game, fourth-most in the NHL. The visitors’ 10.55 penalty minutes a game ranks 12th-highest. The home team has been penalized 4.77 times a game (8th) for an average of 10.00 minutes (16th).
The Panthers’ 10.64% power play percentage is the second-lowest in the league, while the Kings rank 18th with a conversion rate of 20.00%. Florida has been equally unimpressive at penalty killing, as the away team possesses the league’s fourth-lowest PK% at 70.73%. Los Angeles’ 75.93% ranks 23rd in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 16 points this season, sixth-most in the NHL, Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He is among the league leaders with 11 assists (4th) and has added five goals of his own. In the net, Spencer Knight (3-1-0) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.53 GAA and a .899% save percentage. Bobrovsky (3-3-1) leads the Panthers in games played in goal.
He has a GAA of 3.02 and a save percentage of .901%.Gabriel Vilardi and Kevin Fiala lead the Kings in scoring with 13 points apiece. Vilardi has eight goals (4th) and five assists in 13 games, while Fiala has three goals and 10 assists (9th) in 13 games. Quick (3-4-1) has the best goals against average for Los Angeles at 3.26. He has a save percentage of .889%.
HOME AND AWAY
Florida is 3-4-0 away from FLA Live Arena this season. Los Angeles is 2-3-0 at Crypto.com Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Florida Panthers (-150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
